Deputies in Tarpon Springs, Florida, were not impressed by a 911 call received on Tuesday at around 1:30 a.m. In the call, a man was seeking emergency assistance, saying his wife had turned into a “Black Widow Spider.” He was seeking a mental examination for his arachnid wife. After being reprimanded by the deputies, the man made a similar call 90 minutes later, leading to him facing charges. It also turns out he's a published author.

Man calls emergency services over his spider wife

As reported by The Smoking Gun, 61-year-old William Rutger of Tarpon Springs called 911 in the early hours of Tuesday morning to report his wife had turned into a black widow spider.

The retired lawyer told the operator that his wife needed an involuntary mental examination.

No doubt there was a certain amount of eye-rolling and head-shaking when deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office responded to the emergency call. On arrival at Rutger’s home, it was established that the wife was still in human form and hadn’t turned into a scary spider after all, so it turned out to be a false alarm.

Deputies found Rutger to be smelling strongly of alcohol and highly intoxicated. His speech was reported slurred and he was unable to clearly express his thoughts.

Deputies warned the man to refrain from calling 911 unless there was a real emergency and then left the scene.

Second 911 call about arachnid wife

According to Officer Jacob Miller, it seems Rutger ignored their admonishments and 90 minutes later called 911 for the second time. He once again claimed his wife had turned into a black widow spider.

Deputies at this point decided enough was enough and they returned to his home, arresting him for misusing the 911 emergency system.

The judge ordered Rutger to pay $500 to cover court costs and a fine. According to police, Rutger had a criminal past and prior rap sheet including convictions for drunk driving and battery. As reported by WFTS, the deputies took Rutger to the Pinellas County Jail and he was released around eight hours later.

The man is a published author

As pointed out by The Smoking Gun, the ironic part of the whole story was the fact that Rutger had published a book in 2009 titled “The Alcoholic’s Guide to Adventure,” the synopsis of which described the novel as a “lighthearted jaunt” into what is described on Amazon as the “sublime world of drunken decadence.”

It turns out the book has received 4.5 stars from two customer reviews. Possibly Rutger will now work on a thrilling sequel where a woman turns into a black widow spider.
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